Thomas, Steve (2012) What will the Fukushima disaster change? Energy Policy, 45. pp. 12-17. ISSN 0301-4215 (doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2012.02.010)

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Abstract

Intuitively, the Fukushima disaster should have a major impact on the future of the nuclear industry. This paper argues that there are four possible answers to the question what will Fukushima change: everything because the nuclear industry cannot survive another Chernobyl; the impact will vary according to location; it is too early to determine the impact; and the nuclear industry was facing serious problems that Fukushima will do no more than exacerbate. We focus on the last answer, arguing that the new designs that were expected to be so attractive as to power a ‘Nuclear Renaissance’ were already failing. The promises that they would be safer, but simpler, therefore cheaper and more buildable were unachievable and the Renaissance in the West had already failed. If the nuclear industry is to have a future, it might be through a shift in locus from North America and Western Europe to China, Russia and India. However, it is not clear that these countries can avoid the techno-economic issues that have derailed the nuclear industry in the West. The prospect that the nuclear industry can be saved by a radical new generation of designs is a long way off and still a remote possibility.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	[1] First published online: 3 March 2012. [2] Published in print: June 2012. [3] Published as: Energy Policy, (2012), Vol. 45, pp. 12–17.
Uncontrolled Keywords:	nuclear power, Fukushima, nuclear renaissance
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Business > Centre for Work and Employment Research (CREW) > Public Services International Research Unit (PSIRU)
Related URLs:	Publisher Organisation Organisation
Last Modified:	14 Oct 2016 09:20
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/8193

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